This invention relates generally to power air blower attachments, and more particularly, to an adjustable air blower attachment for safely cleaning out the gutters of buildings by directing a flowing stream of air from a source at ground level into the gutter trough to blow out leaves, twigs and other debris.
To collect rain water from their roofs, many buildings are provided with rain gutters, which are generally U-shaped channels formed from sheet metal. Rainwater striking the roof flows to the edge of the roof, enters the gutter through the uppermost open portion of the "U", collects in the lower closed portion of the "U", termed a gutter trough, and is conducted away by flow along the channel. A downspout communicates with the gutter trough to conduct the collected rainwater to ground level for disposal.
Provision is made on one leg of the "U" for mounting the gutter to the lower end of the eaves of the roof in a position to receive the rainwater, which would otherwise fall directly to the ground. At periodic intervals along the length of the gutter, crossmember braces are fixed between the leg of the "U" channel nearest the roof and the leg of the "U" channel remote from the roof, termed the gutter lip, to impart structural stiffness to the channel but no obstruct the flow of water into or along the channel.
A perennial problem for persons having houses or other buildings equipped with gutters is the cleaning of the gutter troughs, since, for the gutters and downspouts to perform their functions properly, they must be kept reasonably free of leaves, twigs, and other debris. Usually each autumn, and sometimes more frequently, the homeowner must clear accumulations of such material from the gutter troughs. The generally U-shaped configuration of a rain gutter makes the direct manual cleaning of its interior from ground level difficult, as the gutters for a single story building are typically approximately ten feet above ground level, and therefore cannot be reached directly.
In the past, several approaches for the cleaning of gutters have been taken. In one, the homeowner climbs a ladder, reaches into the gutter, grasps the debris, and places it into a bucket or drops it to the ground. This approach is potentially unsafe, since the ladder may stand on unfirm footing, and the climbing and descending of the ladder may itself be dangerous. Additionally, since the homeowner must periodically interrupt his cleaning to move the ladder along the length of the gutter, he is tempted to over-extend his reach and consequently risks losing his balance and falling from the ladder.
In a second conventional technique for cleaning gutters, the homeowner climbs to the roof and manually cleans the gutters. Since house roofs are generally down-sloping toward the gutters, and since during the cleaning operation the homeowner must reach forward and down the slope, he is typically in a precarious and unsafe position, thereby risking a fall.
The problems inherent in these conventional methods of cleaning gutters inhibit the homeowner from frequent cleaning of the gutters, so that gutters may fill with debris and become plugged, resulting in an undesirable overflow of rain water. Additionally, these conventional methods of cleaning pose significant safety hazards, since they must be performed from a position well above the ground. It is therefore desirable to develop an approach whereby the homeowner may safely and easily clean the gutters while standing on the ground.
One approach to the cleaning of gutters while standing at ground level is to use either a manual or motor driven brush mounted on the end of a pole of sufficient length and configuration to reach the interior of the gutter. Manual brushes are extremely tiring to use, and a motor-driven brush requires either the heavy weight of a motor at the top of an extension pole, or a complicated mechanical linkage if the motor is at the bottom of the pole. Moreover, brushes tend to pile up the debris without lifting it from the gutter. Brushes are also difficult to use in constricted areas and near the crossmember braces. Accordingly, there has been a need for a means to clean gutter troughs safely, efficiently and rapidly while the operator remains at ground level. The present invention fulfills this need.